Pitman gearing



Patented Jan. 13, 1942 UN IT'ED- STATE-S. PAT ENT OF FI=C E PITMANGEARING Charles M. OLeary, Houston, Tex.

Application December 23, 1940,.Serial No. 371,427

7 Claims.

The. present invention relates; generally to gearing, and moreparticularly to improvements ingearing ofth nature disclosed andclaimedin. my copending' application; filed December 1940, under Serial Number369,167, and under the title, Geared. pitmans;

Specifically, the present improvements are directed to. gearing,including a geared pitman, which, while capable of various uses,is-believed at present to find its most important advantages inconnection with oil well pumping units for combining walking beamactuation with speed reduction in aamanner to so replace the separateandidistinct pitmans and speedreduction units of the usual walking beamtype of pumping unit as to eliminate many of the costly parts anddisadvantages of the common well pumper.

Thus, as; in my above application, the present invention follows thegeneral object of'eliminating, in. its use in connection with thewalking beam type of well pumpers, the usual gear reduction unittogether with its necessarily widely spaced apart. crank arms, anddouble pitmans with their required: evener' or equalizing connectiontothebeam.

Over and above the gearing disclosed in my aboveapplication, it is oneof the objects of'the present invention to provide a gearing of greaterstrength, durability and lasting effectiveness, as

well asone capable of more ready; eflicient manufacture and greateradaptability in use.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a gearing ofthis typecapable of ready conversion from. a single to a double gearreduction, and vice versa, so as to better serve its purposes in'practical use under varying well conditionsin the field.

With the above and various other objects in mind; the invention may bebetter understood and more thoroughly'appreciated in the course of" thefollowing description in detail thereof, and by reference to theaccompanying drawing, forming a part of thisspecification, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a side view illustrating the practical application of theinvention in connection with a well pumper of the walking beam type.

Figure 2 is an enlarged view in vertical transverse section through thegearing', taken substantially on line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary detail section on a median line throughthehigh speed shaft pinion and; an engagedportion of the ring gear, and,

Figure tie a vertical sectional view illustratingtheapplicatiomofasecond reduction unit'in accordance: with the; invention.-

Referring now to the above outlined figures of the drawing, andparticularly to Figure 1,

I have, while fully recognizing other possible uses of the invention as,for instance, in con-- nection with the operation of slush pumps and thelike; shown the same applied to a conventional well pumping unitincluding a Samson post- 1,. walking beam II, and. horse. head l2.Insuch aunit it is well known that the rocking of the-beam II: on itsfulcrum l'3- atop the Samson post ID, alternately raises and lowers thehorse head l2 at onev end of the beam,,and that the horse head: isconnectedby suitable reins or other connections to the polish rod of awell pump to thus alternately raise and. lower the sucker rods.

The single pitman. I5 of the present invention is connected at one endby a pivotal connection at M, to the walking beam H,- and is rigidlyconnected at its other end". to a selected point peripherally of ashaftlessring gear l6. For this purpose gear It may have external,annular and laterally spaced ribs I7, forming an annular.

channel thcrebetween, within which the respective end of the pitman l5may be seated, the latter and the ribsl1 havingregistering openings l8:through which bolts 19 serve to secure the connection.

In addition to its external ribs [1, ring gear It has aninternal,continuous, toothed gear ring 20 around its median portion,withlaterally outstanding, outwardly angular flanges 2I, whose innerannular surfaces form bearing faces, and whose outer side surfaces allowfor effective oil sealing in a manner which will presently appear.

Ahigh speed shaft 22 is disposed through, and transversely of, the ringgear I6, with a pinion 23 thereon intermediate its ends in mesh with theinternalgear ring 20 in a manner clearly apparent from acomparisonofFigures 2 and 3. The shaft 22 is-also extended through the eccentricallydisposed. bearing portions 24 of a pair of side: supporting discs 25 ofcircular form, whos peripheral edgesv form bearing faces in closeuniform bearing contact with the inner annular bearing faces of the ringgear flanges 2|, and whose outer faces may, as shown in Figure l, havethereon strengthening ribs radiating from the bearing portions 24.

Thus the discs 25,,which are rigidly connected by bolts 26 at spacedpoints through the open space within the ring gear I6, and rigidlyspaced apart bythimbles 21 therebetween, and around said' bolts 26,serve torotatably'support the said ring gear in relation to'thehighspeed shaft 22 1 2 '7 in a manner adapting the former to crawl orwalk around the latter in operation, as well as to maintain the pinion23 and gear ring in uniformly engaged relation and desirable depth ofmesh.

It will be noted that the bearing portions 24 of the supporting sidediscs 25 are laterally elongated at opposite sides of the ring gear IEto form, in the present instance, bearing sleeves 28 within whichsubstantially side portions of the high speed shaft 22 may haveanti-friction bearings 29 and 30 at lengthwise spaced points thereof.

The bearing sleeves 28, it will also be noted, are extended into, andhave bearing support within, side journal boxes 3|, which are adjustablybolted, for alignment purposes, on supporting pedestal frames 32, one atleast of said journal boxes 3| being open at its outer side toaccommodate the extended end of shaft 22 on which a pulley 33 may bekeyed or otherwise removably mounted for receiving power from anysuitable source as, for instance, an electric motor or internalcombustion engine.

Since the side supporting discs 25 effectively close the space withinthe ring gear IE to form an oil chamber or reservoir therein, wherebythe pinion 23 and gear ring 20 operate in an oil bath, suitable oil sealrings 34 may be incorporated within the journa1 boxes 3| to preventleakage of oil around the high speed shaft 22, and around the bearingsleeves 28 which have oil channels 35 therethrough feeding oil to thejournal brasses 36. Furthermore, suitable oil seal rings 3'! may bedisposed, to prevent oil leakage, between the outer side surfaces of thering gear flanges 2|, and the coacting faces of the offset peripheralportions 38 of the discs 25, which abut said flange surfaces as plainlyseen in Figure 2.

Thus the supporting discs 25 of the ring gear l6 are, in the presentinstance, directly supported by their sleeves 28 within the journalboxes 3|, so as to relieve their weight from the high speed shaft 22,and at the same time admit of ready removal of the journal box 3| at oneside of the pitman along the extended end of shaft 22 after removal ofpulley 33, for a purpose to be now set forth.

It is plain that in thus combining the action of gears with theeccentric throw of the pitman l5, to convert speedy rotation of shaft 22into slow reciprocation as applied to the walking beam H, or otheruseful work, the cooperation of the pinion 23 and gear ring 20constitutes but a single speed reduction. Since it may be highlydesirable, under changing well conditions including varying wellproduction, to change to a double speed reduction in a manner permittingsingle reduction to be resumed when desired, a double reduction unit isprovided as a part of the invention, according to the disclosure ofFigure l.

The double reduction gear unit, as clearly seen in Figure 4, includes acylindrical casing 40, having a removable side plate 4|, and having itsopposite side provided with a fixed journal box 42 which may beinstalled around one of the bearing sleeves 28, to replace the journalbox 3| of Figure 2, after the latter and pulley 33 have Iii) beenremoved. The journal box 42, being in all relation so that a large gear43 may be mounted on shaft 22 within casing 40.

In the above manner, high speed shaft 22, with gear 43 thereon afterassociation of the double reduction unit in place as described, becomesan intermediate shaft, gear 43 being engaged by a high speed pinion 44on a shaft 45 having bearings 45 in the two side walls of the casing 40.The extended end of shaft 45 projects beyond the removable side plate 4|for the reception of a pulley 41, and the speed at which thi shaft isdriven is then reduced through pinion 44 to gear 43, and again throughpinion 23 to ring gear l6, as long as the double reduction unit isemployed.

Nothing in the foregoing, however, prevents detachment of the doublereduction unit of Figure 4 where changing well conditions make itdesirable to resume single reduction operation with the parts as inFigure 2, and it is thus obvious that the association of the doublereduction unit with the single reduction gearing, and its disassociationtherefrom, are equally simpl operations, and that with the abovedescribed construction and relation of parts, either operation may beeasily carried out with little delay.

It will also be obvious that as the ring gear shifts up and down, thelevel of oil therein will be alternately raised and lowered, above andbelow the level of shaft 22 and journal boxes 3|. Thus the lubricatingoil around the shaft and ring gear bearings will be alternately fedthereto and permitted to drain therefrom, providing for constant,effective change of the oil throughout the bearings by its mixture withthe supply of oil in the ring gear.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In combination, a shaft having a pinion thereon, a pitman, a hollow,internally toothed ring gear fixed at one end of the pitman around, andin mesh with, the shaft pinion, supporting side discs peripherally inbearing contact with said ring gear within and entirely around the same,eccentrically disposed andlaterally elongated hubs carried by said discsand through which the shaft is journalled, and stationary bearingsupports'in which said disc hubs are journalled.

2. In combination, a shaft having a pinion thereon, a pitman, a hollow,internally toothed, circular ring gear fixed at one end of the pitmanand disposed around, and in mesh with, the shaft pinion, to form asingle reduction drive between the shaft and the ring gear, supportingside discs peripherally in bearing contact entirely around the ring gearand having eccentrically disposed bearing hubs journalled on the shaftto thus adapt the discs to swing around the shaft in accord with theshifting of the ring gear in its meshed relation with the shaft pinion,side journals in which the said bearing hubs are rotatably supported andthrough and beyond which the shaft extends, and a second reduction gearunit including a casing receiving said extended shaft end, a gear memberwithin the casing on said shaft end, and a shaft journalled in thecasing and projecting exteriorly thereof, having a pinion in mesh withthe said shaft gear member.

3. In combination, a shaft having a pinion thereon, a pitman, a hollow,internally toothed ring gear in adjustably fixed relation at one end ofthe pitman, around and in mesh with said shaft pinion to form a single,speed reducing drive unit for the ring gear, side members eccentricallymovable around the axis of the shaft and in radial bearing relationperipherally thereof uniformly around the ring gear, bearings for theshaft and side members, one of which bearings is removable, and a secondspeed reducing gear unit including mean detachably connective with thepinion shaft for connection therewith and disconnection therefrom as aunit and a bearing member for replacing said removable shaft bear- 4. Incombination, a shaft having a pinion thereon, gear supporting sidemembers having eccentrically disposed hubs in bearing relation aroundsaid shaft at opposite sides of the pinion, a pitman, a ring gear fixedto said pitman in rotatable relation around the peripheral portions ofsaid supporting members, and having an -internal toothed ring held bysaid members in uniform mesh with the shaft pinion, side journal boxesin which the hubs of said supporting members are journalled, one atleast of which is removable, and a reducing gear unit detachablyconnectible with one end of said pinion shaft and including a casinghaving a journal box adapted to replace the said removable journal box,whereby said reducing unit may be bodily associated with, anddisassociated from, the said pinion shaft.

5. In combination, a pitman, a shaftless, internally toothed ring gearat one end of the pitman, a shaft extending through the space within thering gear and having a pinion in mesh with the teeth of the gear, sidemembers swingable around the shaft and in peripheral bearing contactwith the ring gear uniformly therearound for guiding the ring gear withrespect to the shaft pinion and maintaining their meshed relation at alltimes, and supporting means in which portions of said guiding membershave rotatable bearing, the pinion shaft having rotatable bearing in thebearing supported portions of the said guiding members.

6. In combination, a shaft having a pinion thereon, a pitman, a hollow,internally toothed ring gear fixed at one end of the pitman around, andin mesh with, the shaft pinion, supporting side discs peripherally inrotatable bearing contact with said ring gear within and entirely aroundthe same, for supporting the ring gear and closing opposite sidesthereof to form an oil reservoir therein, eccentrically disposed andlaterally elongated hubs carried by said discs and through which theshaft is journalled, stationary bearing supports in which said disc hubsare journalled, said hubs having oil distributing channels Within thebearing supports and through which oil may flow alternately from, andto, the reservoir during movement of the gear ring around the shaftpinion, and oil seal means in said bearing supports and around thecontacting portions of the ring gear and discs.

'7. In combination, a shaft having a pinion thereon, a pitman, a hollow,internally toothed ring gear fixed at one end of the pitman around, andin mesh with, the shaft pinion, supporting side discs peripherally inbearing contact with said ring gear entirely around the latter forguiding the same and maintaining the ring gear and pinion properly inmesh, hubs projecting laterally from said discs in coaxial relation withand around the pinion shaft, and stationary bearing supports in whichsaid disc hubs are journalled for relieving the pinion shaft of theweight of the discs.

CHARLES M. OLEARY.

